Although you would never guess by the weather we've been having, it is technically spring.  Unbelievably, I've already cut the grass once and the green everywhere is almost cartoonish.  My lavender has come and gone.  The irises and poppies are well on their way and I've got about one more harvest of rhubarb before it fades away until next year.


This week in the food box I got asparagus and dandelion greens.  It was until after taking the dandelion greens out of the box, giving them a good, thoughtful lookover that the error of my ways hit me.  Why was I paying for dandelion greens when I've got them growing like mad in the yard.  I don't put pesticides on my grass and neither does anyone nearby (it's the law here in the Tdot and I'm not sorry for it).  I'm planting all kinds of other stuff in the garden, why not start foraging in the grass as well.  It's all greens.  So... that's this week's revelation for 'ya.
By the By, this blog that I've been keeping up with called 'Chicken Tender' is written by someone who is renting to own a plot of land outside of San Francisco.  She and family are really making a go of it as farmers to sustain themselves and learning by the seat of their pants.  Chicken Tender posted a very interesting article just a few days ago about her own struggle/frustration/disillusionment with both the urban environmental movement and with civilization itself.  I found the article both vulnerable and relatable.  Check it out here if you are interested.  I'm always in a state of sadness/anger/frustration at the world that I live in AND participate in.  I have to admit that I'm part of it.  Coffee cups are a perfect example for me personally.  It always makes me sick to think that in Toronto about a million (yeah... that's 1 000 000) cups go into landfill everyday.  Now, I'm not a coffee drinker but I do bow down at the alter of Starbucks a couple of times a week for my... get ready for it... half sweet/no whip/hot chocolate - which sounds ludicrous and I can't verbalize it without snickering.  Often I bring my own mug but sometimes I don't, cause sometimes I just feel like I'm the only one, that it doesn't really matter and that now there will still be 999 999 coffee cups going into landfill.  I guess that the honest answer is
a.  Absolutely everything we do has an effect on the environment around us 'cause we're human and we eat and all that.
b.  If I'm really looking for a way to leave the frustration/anger/sadness behind then I should just not go to SB and forgo the stupid sounding hot chocolate altogether.

Okay... so here I am getting off the stupid soapbox, pretty convinced that the end of the world didn't happen last week and moving on with things...


So, this recipe was using the above mentioned asparagus and dandelion greens and I put some bread in it and all that crap.  It was supposed to look beautifully golden on the top... then I started watching a show at about 9pm and forgot to take it out.  It baked for about 10 minutes longer than it should have.  The golden turned to burned brown... whatever... it still tasted good... just looks bad.   Does that qualify as a disaster?
I'm gonna think about that one while I'm squatting in my back yard cutting all my dandelion greens... YUM.


Asparagus, Dandelion Green Strata (I think that's what it's called when bread is involved)
adapted from Deborah Madison
serves 4 - 6

3 - 4 slices of bread (use something substantial that will stand up to being in liquid)
2 cups asparagus,
3 cups (or so) dandelion greens, chopped
1 cup baby leek, sliced thin
1/4 cup (or so) chives, chopped
3 cloves of garlic crushed
1 veggie bouillion cube
1 tsp pepper sauce (optional)
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp Worcestershire
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (or so) cheddar, grated
1/2 cup parmesan, grated

preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Butter a rectangular or oblong baking dish.
Combine the eggs, sour cream, milk, flour, Worcestershire together and set aside.
Heat a large pan over med/low heat.  Add some oil of your choice.  Add in the asparagus and leeks, stir constantly.  Heat for a few minutes then add in the greens, chives and garlic.  Moving around constantly, heat through for another five minutes.
Throw the veggies into the baking dish, add the egg mixture and mix that all up together.  Add in the cheddar and about half of the parmesan and mix that all up together.
Add the bread chunks and just immerse each chunk enough so that it's been glazed with the egg mixture.
Sprinkle the very top with the remaining parmesan.
Bake for about 35 - 40 minutes, or until it's bubbly and the top is golden brown... and don't watch tv while you are deciding exactly when that might be.